Wadsworth Chapel

Place

Wadsworth Chapel

The oldest remaining building on Wilshire served Protestants on one side and Catholics on the other.

Place Details

Address

Eisenhower Ave. and Bonsall Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90049
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Architect

Decade

Community

The oldest remaining building on Wilshire, this late-Victorian chapel was erected before the boulevard even existed in this part of Los Angeles.

It is the last remaining example of a neighborhood of Victorian structures officially named the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, founded in 1887 to care for volunteer soldiers of the Civil War and Indian wars. 

Now called the Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Healthcare Center, the campus has housed and cared for generations of U.S. soldiers.

The unique Wadsworth Chapel was designed to serve Protestants on one side and Catholics on the other.

Its detailing, window patterns, bell tower, and to some extent, interiors, remain intact. Yet it needs millions of dollars in repair and restoration and is currently closed to the public.

Marc Wanamaker/Bison Archives | Aerial view of National Soldier's Home
Security Pacific Collection/Los Angeles Public Library
J. Eric Lynxwiler Collection
Security Pacific Collection/Los Angeles Public Library
Security Pacific Collection/LAPL | 1895.
Security Pacific Collection/Los Angeles Public Library | Trolley station at National Soldier's Home.
Anne Laskey | Wadsworth Chapel at National Soldier's Home